Sarkisian explains comments on Reggie Bush

UW head coach Steve Sarkisian caused a bit of a stir when an espn.com story emerged Friday night that quoted him as referring to Reggie Bush looking “like an idiot again” after Bush returned his 2005 Heisman Trophy.

The quote stemmed from comments on Bush returning the Heisman he won in 2005 with USC, but not admitting any guilt in a saga that left USC heavily penalized beginning this year.

Saturday, after a loss to Nebraska, Sarkisian, who is known for avoiding anything controversial when speaking to the media, explained the context in which the quotes emerged in a story on espn.com by Shelley Smith, who also served as a sideline reporter for ABC for Saturday’s UW-Nebraska game.

“The quotes came out in a production meeting for [the game against Nebraska],” Sarkisian said. “In general, those production meetings are not for print media.”

Sarkisian continued:

“It was a conversation, it was part of a conversation where there were quotes on both sides,” Sarkisian said. “It’s unfortunate, it’s a great learning lesson for me about when things get said around media, they’re live.”

Sarkisian stressed that he meant no disrespect to Bush and insinuated that he had reached out to the current New Orleans Saint after the story became public. The former USC offensive coordinator also stressed that he was attempting to defend the notion that Bush allegedly taking money from agents had nothing to do with USC’s success.

“I really respect Reggie Bush. I loved having him as a player at USC. My point to all of that was, whatever happened with Reggie Bush off the field with himself or his family was not the reason why we were the number one team in America and it was not the reason why he won the Heisman Trophy.”